


The Aenilliad

by Kabewmer



Category: The Iliad - Homer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28926438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kabewmer/pseuds/Kabewmer
Summary: This is the story of Troy from the perspective of Aeneas (the founder of the Roman tribe before Romulus and Remus)





	The Aenilliad

Aeneas awoke in the night to a commotion out in the nearby fields. Throwing on his tunic and tying my sword to my belt, he moved to the door. “Those damned wolves must be back” He stepped outside of his small cabin, and surveyed the area. He was greeted with the sight of burning torches and ghastly silhouettes off in the distance. These were no wolves, but men poaching his livelihood. Aeneas switched from the humble herder to the seasoned veteran, and crouched low, moving through field with his sword drawn. As he neared their location, he saw the rose red color adorning the helmets and cloaks of the men, and knew immediately that they were Greeks. He was careful to stay just outside the light of their torches. “The torch doesn’t help them see, it limits them.” He watched them attempt to wrangle his cattle, oblivious to the world around them. They were blind to the danger lurking beyond the wall of darkness they had created for themselves, but they would know it soon. Aeneas felt the anticipation flowing through him, and prepared to charge into them. He would stain the ground the same color as their cloaks this night. One Greek soldier strayed a little too close to Aeneas, and began to relieve himself. Aeneas took this as his moment to attack. He rushed at the man which elicited the yelp of surprise that drew the attention of the party. He ended his life quickly, and turned to the remainder of the party preparing for a fight. It would not come as he was struck from behind by an unseen opponent. He fell to the ground in pain, his sword skittering away. The blow was not fatal, but it hurt like Hades. Two of the men in the party rushed forward and restrained him. The hidden man appeared from the darkness, put a sword to his neck and spoke to him, “stay down, I have no desire to take a life tonight.” The Greek holding the torch spoke to Aeneas’s assailant, “By the gods Achilles, where were you? He could have killed all of us.” Achilles replied, “I was supervising the work of the other two teams.” As he spoke, Aeneas heard the footsteps of more men coming towards the party. “There are too many of them. I need to run.” He needed to move quickly before the others sealed his fate. By this time, Achilles had moved away from Aeneas, who was still lying on the ground. Aeneas surprised the man on his left by bashing his head into the man’s nose. He then rolled over and elbowed the other in the throat still in shock from the suddenness of the attack. Aeneas rose up and made a break for the trees in the opposite direction of the incoming party. The two men ran in pursuit until Achilles shouted, “leave him! Our mission is to find food, and ensure the Trojans can’t do the same. Go torch his fields, and make sure nothing can be salvaged.” Aeneas disappeared into the woods only looking back to see his home put to the torch. Aeneas swore on the river Styx he would not let this act go unpunished. To do this, he needed an army. It was time to go to Troy.  
Years Later  
Aeneas surveyed the battle plans in front of him, looking for any way to improve the outcome of the upcoming engagements. He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. He placed a hand over his bandaged shoulder. He detested being so useless. His Dardanians were dying every day on the battlefield while he was recovering in the keep. He had taken an arrow to his shoulder after a confrontation with the Greek warrior, Diomedes. He would have joined his men in the underworld had it not been for the intervention of his mother, Venus. Then that piece of aphòdeuma shot her too. At last, Apollo brought him away from the fighting, and not a moment too soon. A woman’s voice from behind him drew him from his thoughts, “You’ve been at it for hours, that wound isn’t going to heal until you get some sleep.” It was his wife, Creusa. Aeneas grumbled and said, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” “You may get your wish soon if you don’t at least change the bandages.” she retorted, “They’re filthy.” Aeneas knew she was right. “Fine,” he turned to look at her, “I’ll take a break for now.”  
Hector’s Death  
Gods be damned, they killed him. Hector is dead. Achilles challenged him to a duel without warning, Hector saw it as a chance to deal the final blow that would bring about the end of this thrice cursed war. Whether it be luck or fate, Achilles bested him. If that weren’t enough, the bdelyròs dragged Hector’s body around the outskirts of the city with his chariot. Do those phlyaros have no honor? Aeneas marched down the streets of Troy with his retinue of loyal bodyguards. He was now first of all Trojans, their general. All around him, people cried out in sorrow as the news spread. In the distance Aeneas heard, “Hector is dead! All hope is lost” He grit his teeth. “I will not fail you good people of Troy.”  
The End of the War  
It is done. The war is over at last. After 10 years of bloodshed, heartache, and suffering, the Greeks are gone. People were dancing in the streets, singing old Trojans songs, and telling the stories of the greatest heroes of Troy. Aeneas smiled, something he thought he had lost the ability to do. “I suppose my name will soon be among their number.” The people had found joy once again. Creusa had wanted to join the celebrations and so Aeneas found himself guiding her through the streets, drinking it all in. People cheered his name as he walked by. He was the man who led the Trojan army to victory. He reached the main square that was serving as the heart of the festivities. There he admired the beautiful wooden horse, towering above him. The Greeks had left it as a gift for the gods, but Laocoön and Cassandra had both declared the horse a bad omen. The decision was made that Aeneas's Dardanians would be on high alert throughout the night, just in case. Aeneas couldn’t see how a single wooden horse could be so bad. “Isn’t it just magnificent?” Creusa said to him. Aeneas simply nodded, lost in thought. “I can’t shake the feeling that something foul is just around the corner.”  
...Later That Night  
Aeneas was sitting in the lounge area of his room drinking wine and waiting. For what, he didn’t know. He just couldn’t get settled enough to sleep. Something was wrong. He was caught off guard as one of his men burst into the room. The man was wild eyed and out of breath. “mi’lord, Greeks *huff* in the city *huff* killing everyone in sight.” Aeneas moved to the window. The city was on fire, and off in the distance, Greek ships were coming back towards the shore, their blood red sails foreshadowing the night that was to come. Cassandra had been correct. Creusa walked into the room roused by the commotion the guard had made. “What’s going on?” she asked. Aeneas had already sprung into action donning his armor and checking his sword once more. He walked towards her, placed his hands on her shoulders and said to her, “gather all the people, treasures, and supplies in the citadel. The city has been breached. I will come for you when I can.” And with that, he went running from the room accompanied by the guard. As he slammed the door open to the courtyard, he was greeted by the familiar faces of his Dardanians. He spoke to them, “Men, tonight may very well be the end of Troy. Now is not the time for heroics. Now is the time to save as many people as possible before those Greek dogs get to them. The city may fall, but the people may live to fight another day.” The commanders of each cohort of the Dardanians began barking orders to their troops. Aeneas assumed control of cohort I (1) and marched his men towards the center square. He had a glimpse of the attack from his room, but nothing could prepare him for the carnage that he was about to witness. As he exited the citadel, he was greeted by chaos. Corpses lined the streets and the smell of smoke choked the air. People were running in all directions, shrieking in terror. Greek soldiers were everywhere taking treasure and women alike. “Where in Hades did they all come from?” He ordered his men, “Fan out. We move down the street as a unit. Kill any of those bdelyròs only when you have an opening. Allow the civilians to pass our ranks.” Aeneas then began the long and bloody process of retaking the streets and evacuating innocent people to the citadel. The streets ran red with blood. The Greeks had no mercy for the people of Troy, and they acted more as butchers than soldiers. Aeneas spotted two crimson clad soldiers dragging a screaming woman into a nearby alley. He left the shield wall to save her, and the commander of the shieldwall assumed control. He struck down the first one in seconds, but the second proved to be a more formidable opponent. Aeneas feinted an attack with his sword from above, but then followed up with a shield bash that would end the fight. He looked at the woman only in passing as there was much left to do. His men had moved on without him, and were engaging the Greeks in an attempt to retake the central square. He rejoined them and battled underneath the wooden horse. He saw then an open hatch with rope leading up to the stomach of the horse. “So that’s how they snuck into the city. Do the gods approve of the genocide disguised as a gift?” Aeneas looked across the square and his eyes were drawn towards a Greek soldier smiling at him. Aeneas scowled at him and shouted across the battlefield, “Ulysses! "váll' eis kórakas!" The man simply laughed, and soon Aeneas lost track of him in the battle. Aeneas continued fighting until a messenger reached him. “Sir, they have taken the gatehouse and let the rest of their army in. The city is lo-” His sentence was cut short by an arrow lodged in his chest. Aeneas tracked the shot to the rooftops. Greek archers were everywhere. “Gods be damned. I failed.” Aeneas looked around him and made the hardest decision of his life. “Fall back! Fall back to the Citadel! Retreat!” His men immediately disengaged, and all semblance of control failed. They broke formation, and it became a mad dash to get out of the square. Arrows rained down on them thinning out the numbers of the already retreating soldiers. Aeneas was the last one out of the square defending his men with his life before he too ran. Once he reached the citadel, they closed the inner gates. Aeneas was immediately assailed by panicked, distraught people, each asking questions on how to get out alive. His guards came and cleared a path for him, and he went to go find his wife. He saw her speaking to a shaken priestess, consoling her. As Aeneas approached, he heard the tailend of the conversation, “-and they dragged her out and violated her under the statue of Athena.” Aeneas asked, “are you talking about Cassandra?” The priestess turned to him, “Sir Aeneas, y-yes, I barely managed to get away from them. She t-told them to leave, and instead they used her.” Cruesa chimed in, “those Greeks are nothing short of animals. This war has shown that clearly enough.” Aeneas nodded, “I’ll make them pay dearly for it. Where is King Priam?” Cruesa and the priestess looked upset. “He was the first of the wounded brought in, he died not more than an hour ago from a stab wound. I guess that makes you king now.” Aeneas was king. A guard ran up to the pair, “Mi’lord, the leader of the Greeks wants a word with the person in charge. I can’t find King Priam so I came for you.” Aeneas immediately began walking towards the gate, and climbed the battlements just above it. “King Agamemnon, you phlyaros, what is it you require.” “It would be so easy to put an arrow through his heart” The King called out, “Ah Aeneas, I wish to speak to your king to arrange the terms of surrender.” Aeneas replied, “He is dead, I have assumed command of what remains of the Trojans.” The Greek King nodded, and accepted Aeneas as an acceptable person to negotiate with. “Very well,” he said, “Aeneas, you have served your people, your king, your gods with utmost loyalty. I am willing to give you one more opportunity to save them yet again. Give me Helen, and we will grant your people permission to leave the city with their lives.” Aeneas stood quietly thinking it over. “All this bloodshed, because of one man’s infatuation.” He finally decided. “Fine, Helen for safe passage.”  
After that the terrible exchange was made. Aeneas traded one life for hundreds and escorted his people out of Troy. Cruesa went missing during the transition. Aeneas was convinced that this was one last slight by the Greeks because they knew full well, he was in no position to fight them on it. His people would go to the base of Mount Ida and construct ships to take them far away from this wretched place. He looked back at Troy for the last time, and thought to himself, “I swear on the river Styx, I will find a home for my people, no matter the cost.”


End file.
